Former IRRI scholar receives AAEA fellowship award

Dr. Jikun Huang has been awarded an Agriculture and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Fellowship for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of agricultural or applied economics.

Huang was a PhD scholar in agricultural economics at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) from 1987 to 1990 while studying at the nearby University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

Recognition as an AAEA Fellow is AAEA's most prestigious honor. Huang was recognized for his exceptional contributions through research, mentoring students, institution building, and impact on policy. His leadership in agricultural economics in China is unsurpassed and his research has made significant influence on China’s agricultural policies, according to the AAEA.

As a researcher, his work is widely known for being empirically based and rigorously analyzed.  Among his most significant contributions are his research on biotechnology impact assessment, food security and policy, and food supply/demand/trade simulation model.

Huang is the founder and director of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is also vice presidents of Chinese Association of Agricultural Economics and Chinese Association of Agro-Technology Economics. 

In 2010, he received IRRI’s Outstanding Alumni Award. “Dr. Jikun Huang is one of the most well-known agricultural economists in the world,” said then IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler during the awarding ceremony. “His publications have been widely cited in international journals. His work has also influenced China’s agricultural policy and development, including China’s rice policy.”

Huang also received the UPLB Distinguished Alumni Award during UPLB’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2008.

Huang discusses the importance of training the next generation of rice scientists, beginning at 1:34 into an IRRI video on the subject. 

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Latest STRASA Newsletter now out

The STRASA Newsletter (Vol. 9, No. 2) is now available at strasa.irri.org. This issue features the strengthened collaboration with Nepal and Odisha State in India, the presentation of new stress-tolerant rice varieties at the Africa Rice Center station in  St. Louis, Senegal, and other STRASA activities. Also in this issue is the launch of Gender Corner, a new column that focuses on women's rights and gender equality in various countries involved in the STRASA project. The first installment of Gender Corner highlights the women farmers of eastern India as agents of change.


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Korea’s RDA appoints Hwang-keun Chung as new administrator

(Photo: RDA)

Mr. Hwang-keun Chung was appointed as the new administrator of Korea’s Rural Development Administration (RDA) on 17 August, succeeding Mr. Yang-Ho Lee. 

Mr. Chung has a B.A. in Agriculture from Seoul National University and has served as the deputy director of the Agriculture Policy Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries; director general of both the Rural Policy Bureau and Agricultural Policy Bureau under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; and secretary to the President for Agriculture, Livestock, and Food.

Mr. Chung will continue to pursue all opportunities to strengthen the collaborative relationship between RDA and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), according to Dr. Jeom-ho Lee, director, International Technology Cooperation Center, RDA. 

“Our partnership is of paramount importance under the present challenges facing international agricultural,” Lee wrote in a letter to IRRI Director General Matthew Morell. “Our collaboration will contribute much to the development of agricultural science and technology, and ultimately to the welfare of farmers around the globe. Undoubtedly, in the capable hands of the new RDA administrator, our cooperation will be further consolidated. We look forward to building a more fruitful and lasting R&D partnership with you.”

The Government of the Republic of Korea has been collaborating with IRRI through the RDA since the 1960s. The research partnership includes rice breeding using temperate japonica rice varieties and tropical indica varieties as parents. This produced the rice variety Tongil, which transformed the country from a rice importer to a self-sufficient producer.

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In Indonesia: Experts discuss strategy for adopting a web-based app for climate prediction in rainfed rice areas

Key stakeholders participated in the WeRise-RR focus group discussion and 1st CCADS-RR ARPM.

BOGOR, Indonesia, 15 August —A focus group discussion with key stakeholders was recently held to introduce the prototype of a seasonal climate prediction-based decision support system. The app, called WeRise-RR, is designed to improve rice-based cropping systems in Indonesia’s rainfed areas. The focus was on how to effectively disseminate the new technology by considering the viewpoint of farmers.

WeRise-RR is a new version of the web-based app originally developed in 2014. It provides rainfed rice farmers with crucial weather information such as the start and end of the rainy season and rainfall distribution. The app also gives farmers options on optimum sowing times, the variety to plant, and the timing of fertilizer application.

“We need more rice,” said Dr. Hasil Sembiring, director general of Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture Directorate of Food Crops. “We also need more innovations in order to increase our national rice production.”

“We hope that, by using WeRise-RR, farmers will be able to utilize their limited resources more efficiently through choosing a suitable variety, avoiding failure in crop establishment, and more effective fertilizer application,” said Dr. Edi Husen, deputy director for research collaboration and dissemination of the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development. “This would enable rainfed rice farmers to have surplus harvests more often—making farming more profitable—thereby stimulating investments and attracting young people to work in agriculture.”

Indonesians are among the world’s major rice consumers with an annual per capita consumption of around 127 kilograms. The country needs to increase its rice production by 8 million tons by 2019.

Indonesia, however, has been widely affected by climate anomalies, such as drought, over recent years that have caused substantial damage to rice production. Lack of rain during the monsoon season makes it challenging for the country to achieve its targeted rice production goal. Erratic rainfall has made it difficult for farmers to determine when to plant their crops.

So, the country's agricultural research and development programs have placed great importance on the rice sector, particularly through the framework of its national program for achieving self-sufficiency by increasing productivity and production of major food commodities.

WeRise-RR was developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)-Japan collaborative research project (IJCRP) via its effort on Climate Change Adaptation through Development of a Decision Support Tool to Guide Rainfed Rice Production (CCADS-RR). It is aimed at contributing to the national rice program of Indonesia, the pilot country for testing this technology.

“This technology is for Indonesia and other countries that need to improve their rainfed rice production,” emphasized Dr. Keiichi Hayashi, CCADS-RR project coordinator and IRRI soil scientist. “While there are challenges, there are also opportunities. That’s why we are involving key stakeholders at this stage. Identifying a strategic adoption pathway is important.”

Nelly Florida Riama, acting director of the Agroclimate and Maritime Climate Information Division, Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), expressed the importance of WeRise-RR in impact-based predictions.

Dr. Zulkifli Zaini, IRRI representative to Indonesia, recommended that key institutions develop a joint proposal to use current resources and maximize the capacities of the various institutions that will play key roles in the dissemination of WeRise-RR.

Key stakeholders who attended the focus group discussion to express their strong support were Dr. Suyamto Hardjosuwirjo, former director of the Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development (ICFORD) and senior researcher at  the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (AIAT)-East Java; Dr. Widi Hardjono, director of the Agricultural Training Center; Dr. Prihasto Setyanto, head of the Indonesian Agricultural Environment Research Institute; Nelly Florida Riama, acting director of BMKG; Dr. Andriko Noto Susanto, head of AIAT-North Sumatera; Dr. Saleh Mokhtar, head of AIAT-West Nusa Tenggara; Dr. Hasil Sembiring and Dr. Achmad Mudzakkir Fagi, former members of the IRRI Board of Trustees.

The focus group discussion was held back-to back with the CCADS-RR 1st annual review and planning meeting. The review focused on the progress of the collaborative work by project partners.

The presentations were made by Mrs. Nurwulan Agustiani, Indonesia Rice Research Institute (ICRR) researcher and CCADS-RR national project coordinator; Mrs. Sri Rustini, AIAT-Central Java researcher; Mr. Lalu Wirajaswadi, AIAT-West Nusa Tengara senior researcher; Mr. Yohannes Krisnadi, AIAT-East Java senior researcher; Mrs. Idri Hastuty Siregar, AIAT-North Sumatra senior researcher; Mr. Nasruddin Razak, AIAT-South Sulawesi senior researcher; Dr. Satoshi Uchida, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) Social Sciences Division head; Dr. Maria Excelsis Orden, Philippine Central Luzon State University professor and division chief; and Dr. Romeo Cabangon, IRRI associate scientist .

There were 37 participants who attended the back-to-back events co-organized by the office of Dr. Ali Jamil, ICFORD director and ICRR acting director.

The IJCRP on CCADS-RR, which was implemented on 1 October 2015 and will end on 30 September 2020, is funded by the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and JIRCAS.

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Food festival at IRRI features 40 culinary delicacies from 15 countries

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Nothing bridges cultures across the world like good food. This resonated during the annual International Food Festival held recently at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Around 40 culinary delights were prepared by IRRI scholars, trainees, scientists, and staff.

Organized by the Association of Fellows, Scholars, Trainees and Residents of IRRI (AFSTRI), the festival attracted a big crowd of food lovers within the community and outside guests on 12 August (photos).

Dishes sampled by the eager crowd came from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The festival also highlighted five local restaurants: Bonitos, Dal Cielo’s, Phuong’s Vietnamese Restaurant, and Bean Hub and Berris Food Services at IRRI.

The preparation for the festival provided an opportunity to have fun, be creative, and bond according to the participants. “It is very nice to see so many dishes served by representatives from different countries,” said AFSTRI President Prasad Senadheera. “The Food Festival is a very important event for us to experience and enjoy the world's different cultures.”

“While cooking, we celebrate together and we get to know each other,” shared Smita Joshi from Team India, the largest participating group who also sold the most food.

The excitement wasn’t limited to tasting exotic dishes. The festival was also a highly anticipated food competition. This year’s winners for the best dishes were Bangladesh for rice (Vuna Khichuri), China and India for vegetable (Sliced potato and onion with cumin and Bread chop, respectively), Vietnam for nonvegetable (stir-fried chicken noodles), and Indonesia for dessert (Klepon). India won the prize for the most popular food stall.

“Our team is very proud and happy to win in the best rice dish category,” said Satyen Mondal from Team Bangladesh. “We didn’t plan to get an award, but we did a lot of work together, planning for about 10 days on how to present our dish. Our objective was to make the event more festive.” The classic Vuna Khichuri is considered the ultimate comfort food for Bengalis particularly on rainy days. The ingredients for this winning entry are basmati rice, chicken, peas, and spices.

Thuong and Nhien Hieu from Team Vietnam shared the same sentiments. “We had no aspiration to win an award but we wanted to contribute to make the food festival more interesting,” they said. “We wanted everyone to have a taste of Vietnamese cuisine.”

When asked if they want to join the contest again next year, both scholars answered, “Absolutely!” Nhien Hieu was quick to add, “Hopefully, we can cook an even better dish next time.”

View 23 more photos on flickr by Isagani Serrano, IRRI. Video by Christopher Gapuz, IRRI. 

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JICA representatives in the Philippines briefed on partnership projects with IRRI

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines, 15 August—Representatives in the Philippines for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were recently briefed on collaborative projects with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

JICA reps Morita and Ito with Bruce Tolentino, IRRI deputy director
general for communication and partnerships.

Isusumu Ito (center in photo) and Takahiro Morita (left in photo), chief and senior JICA reps, respectively, received updates on the Wonder Rice Initiative for Food Security and Health (WISH) project and training activities with IRRI.

Under WISH, scientists from JICA, Nagoya University, and IRRI have teamed up to raise rice production by developing new disease-resistant, high-yielding rice varieties. With conventional cross breeding, the scientists are using a rice improvement technique in which desired traits from specific rice varieties are marked for transfer to identified Asian and African varieties that are preferred by farmers.

The representatives also reviewed the capacity-building workshops conducted by the IRRI Training Center under the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD). JICA has been working with IRRI in Africa since the launch of CARD in 2008. Through the support of JICA and IRRI—in partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)—training has involved rice production techniques, season-long courses for extension agronomists, and producing quality breeder and foundation seed.

“The presentations confirmed the good progress of the projects,” said Ito. “IRRI is a center of excellence and JICA is the largest bilateral development organizations in the world. Our institutions work well together. We find our collaboration excellent.”

Significantly, these activities are the first to receive direct funding from JICA, according to Corinta Guerta, director for external relations at IRRI.  “This is the first time JICA has provided funding to a nongovernment organization such as IRRI,” she said. “Under this new funding model, JICA, IRRI, and PhilRice are able to work closely and our progress and accomplishments are directly monitored by JICA. I think it will be a very useful model for future collaboration.”

Dr. Noel Magor, head of IRRI's Training Center, commended the direct relationship between JICA and IRRI. “The training program for the 23 CARD countries would have not been possible if the project was not a direct agreement between JICA and IRRI,” he said.

Aside from these two activities, IRRI and JICA are now actively discussing training for extension workers in Afghanistan.

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15 climate-smart rice varieties transferred to PhilRice for dissemination to farmers

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Better access to improved, quality rice seed is essential for farmers to raise their productivity, particularly under unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change.

On 12 August, the Next-Gen Project, Accelerating the development and adoption of next-generation rice varieties for the major ecosystems in the Philippines, turned over the seed of 15 climate-smart rice varieties to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). These included 1,005 kg of foundation seed of 14 varieties suitable for irrigated, rainfed, submergence, saline, and upland ecosystems.

Also transferred were 10 kg of NSIC Rc222 breeder seed to replace the current stock at PhilRice. NSIC Rc222 is a popular high-yielding variety developed at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The seed will be used for producing registered seeds to speed up introduction of the newly released climate-smart rice varieties in targeted environments, including marginal areas, to raise farmers’ yield. 

Dr. Georgina Vergara (left in photo), Next-Gen Project lead and scientist at IRRI, handed over the seed to Ms. Thelma Padolina of PhilRice. 

The Next-Gen Project is an initiative under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program of the Philippine Department of Agriculture. It utilizes advances in plant breeding methodologies and stratified multi-environment testing to speed up the development and field testing of new high-yielding inbred and hybrid rice varieties with multiple resistance/tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Through high-quality seed production, the good quality seed is multiplied and immediately made available to farmers.

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